Badgers

Badgers are omnivorous short-legged members of the Mustelidae family. The squat bodies and adaptations for fossorial behavior of badgers, which are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, are what bind them together. All are carnivoran mammals and are members of the caniform suborder.

One of the few predators that can actually unfold a hedgehog that has already curled up into a spike ball is this species of mammal. Although there isn't any concrete proof that badgers "exterminate" hedgehogs, food is the main motivation for them to prey on their spiky neighbors. These two species typically consume the same foods; they primarily consume insects like beetles. Therefore, if a badger and a hedgehog share a meal, there will probably be a food fight. Hedgehogs rarely visit places where badger populations are high because they can be defeated by them. Hedgehog populations actively decline in places where there are no badgers at all, thus it is not shown that there will be a decline in the population if there are many badgers. In truth, they could possibly coexist if there was enough food and a habitat that was suitable for both species.